Bloggers and brands

[homebythesea]

I love blogs, YouTube, Instagram etc but sometimes do wonder what's in it for the brands especially regarding blogger events.

Straight up reviews of things they get sent I totally get- they try things on/ use a face cream, wax lyrical about how great the thing is, people click through and buy said item. Straightforward advertising. No problem with that at all.

But when a blogger is invited to a dinner, or night away at a hotel, or a movie premiere by a brand I just don't get what is worth the expense? From the blogger perspective they get a night out and a goodie bag and maybe even paid to attend. But what does the brand get in return? A brief tag on an Instagram pic, some photos of beautiful place settings at dinner......but not necessarily sales?? These events must cost thousands to put on.

Hopefully someone with some knowledge about these things will enlighten us!

I don't dare open those threads Dental has linked as I'm probably on there being very cross. I was really into the first wave bloggers, precisely because they weren't doing it to make money - they just had interesting things to say and being able to reach an audience was its own reward. But inevitably they moved on and were replaced by a new crop who wouldn't get out of bed unless there was a free bag in it. (That's the other disappointing thing - they were bought off so cheaply. No wonder the corporates love them, they're saving them squillions.)

But I'm over it now. I think. I've rediscovered the simple pleasures of watching people, which the corporates have so far not found a way to monetise.

If magasine editors have half a brain between them, they will realise that their best chance of competing with the bloggers and instrammers is to try and offer the things they can't e.g. the best writing and photography.

I don't think I will ever go back to fashion magazines though: they just don't speak to me (late 40's, beyond Cosmo, not ready for Woman & Home, not fashionista enough for Vogue). That's where blogs come in for me- women who look like me, have a similar lifestyle and show clothes I might actually wear.

That's fair enough but I can go to a coffee shop or the supermarket or get on a bus and see women wearing clothes I want to wear. And I don't live anywhere remotely fashionable either. I'd like something that offers me a bit more than that.

I also get my best ideas from women who don't look like me or have similar lives - men too, I was on holiday in Italy earlier in the year and was inspired by the number of old men I saw wearing impeccably cut suits and looking bloody great. Or there's a group of Muslim teenage girls I see on the bus sometimes; they dress traditionally but at the same time they're forever pushing the boundaries. That's the kind of thing that inspires me and any magazine that can tap into that will get my money.

I agree you can get inspiration anywhere I saw an elderly man on the bus the other day he had an amazing flannel coat, silk scarf in a contrasting colour and a trilby hat worn at a jaunty angle with leather gloves. He was by far the most stylish person on the bus. Most bloggers are just bland.

Couldn't agree more. It's in the unexpected and unfamiliar where we can suddenly find ourselves and inspiration strikes. Distance from the subject is good as far as I'm concerned, that's where fashion magazines have lost me in the past. I want to pour over editorial images because it evokes something, because it's more than about the clothes or how much a model looks like me but at some point they started to become very much about dictating how to dress and pushing the clothes under pressure from advertisers (the Lucinda Chambers interview confirms that in bucket loads) and that's when street style and the photographers who caught that (the sarotrialist and Bill Cunningham notably) became interesting as those images firmly held two fingers up to that and did decidedly their own thing. That's gone full circle as the anti establishment has gone establishment and with it they lose what once made them unique. Instagram is an endless scroll, you have less than seconds to make an impact and it grates me to no end when I see another garment specifically designed for a one time shot for the Gram, fugly pink M&S dress anyone

Judy, the ASA aspect is interesting as it's basically toothless. But even if it wasn't, at the end of the day the internet is a global market so there will never be a form of true transparency that's legible across the board and boarders. Where I'm based the guidelines for bloggers and vloggers are entirely voluntary. The US is a lot more proactive. The blog the fashion law is very good at covering it and makes for interesting reads, the quality of editorial on that is uniquely high with a lot of focus on the legal aspects. Currently there's a lot of focus on image rights, for a long time basically surrendering image rights was done in exchange for gaining more attention, following, making use of free platforms with a wide reach, etc. Things are changing, especially with street style photographers who have been crucial to the rise of many an insta star but who aren't profiting in equal measure. Everyone seems to be suing everybody, it's fascinating.

But... most blogger "lifestyle" content is about... being a blogger. I don't care what they wear to go out for coffee on a Tuesday afternoon in Shoreditch with their blogger mates or to a meeting with Jo Malone at a swanky hotel. Half these women put on an outfit, go outside, shoot it, go back in and get into their expensive loungewear. I like content from women, like me, who go to work every day.

@PNGirl yes that's just now how it looks.

I'm very rural, middle aged, kids.

Fashion around me involves looking like you are about to shoot something or ride it. Not a style I suit.

I live hundreds of miles outside London, Glasgow and Birmingham.

There are no shops here for inspiration unless I'm needing some new overalls or tractor parts.

I want a blog or a magazine that I can relate to. I can see your bank balance going up in the back ground as you whirl around at your 'blogger events' pretending to like Ted Baker dresses and coats (THAT YOU HAVE NEVER MENTIONED BEFORE)

I'm the same as you PNgirl, I want content for the real world. OK, with a little aspiration thrown in!

The question is though, who can be trusted? I'd be interested to know who MNers consider to be unbiased.

I think Lisa Eldridge is a rare breed, I haven't seen her sponsoring anything, but then she's not a career blogger.

I do still follow The Anna Edit as she seems quite down to earth and from what I've gathered she and Lily Pebbles were friends before their blogs took off and I guess they both got picked up by Gleam afterwards. I really enjoyed their podcasts too.

Recently there was a post from a mum blogger asking her readers what they thought of her doing sponsored posts. She was lamenting the fact that a lot of work goes into blogging and the bills need to be paid. The response was essentially to go for it provided A. It was transparent and B. The opinions were genuine and she only promoted things she actually liked.

But then when the blogs take off I guess it must be hard to turn the money down when it's on the table.

Lisa Eldridge works for Lancôme but to her credit doesn’t push their products on her videos.

I don’t care if bloggers get paid or receive gifts - as long as they are transparent- because it’s their job. I like the fact that I can see clothes on someone who isn’t 5 foot 10 and 15 years old. Or see makeup on a face that has seen a few years’ experience. You don’t get that in print media.

Fashion around me involves looking like you are about to shoot something or ride it.

There are no shops here for inspiration unless I'm needing some new overalls or tractor parts.

^

I like sunshinesamblog, teeclutter and wearsmymoney. They’re not flogging shit, as far as I can tell.

Anna is difficult. All she buys is Whistles or &OtherStories and I'm convinced she gets it all heavily discounted or free from those brands. Also, capsule wardrobe overload. She seems nice enough.

Anna seems lovely but looks like she spends a fortune on stuff. Those equipment silk shirts and cashmere jumpers aren't cheap.

I don't see her in Sports Direct picking up discounted leggings 😂

I do like Eve Worn Out, she's exactly the type of blogger I look to.

I guess I'm not after someone who's obviously doing it to make money now. I'm after someone who's heart is still in it.

I guess I'm not after someone who's obviously doing it to make money now. I'm after someone who's heart is still in it

But those are not mutually exclusive surely?

Perhaps the world of blog management and the fake purchasing has to be very well done to not to come across this way.

What I'm saying is yes, make money if you can but not through £250 serum recommendations/ads and pretending you love the latest Air & Grace shoes and Hush leather jacket when really you don't.

Also - I'm not looking for daily content which is what some blogs are offering but doing so through constant ads pretending to be latest purchases.

The M&S constellation dress just appeared in three consecutive pics on my Instagram.

I was expecting pound coins to start dropping out the bottom of my iPhone

pear. That's like a fruit machine jackpot surely!?

I saw MOD had posted it.

Anyone seen the posts/inststories for the well known brand of support tights?
Do they all think we are stupid??

Yes. I think they do.

It's an unfortunate state of affairs when you see a picture posted of something and immediately think: "This company thinks I'm thick."

Has anything, really, changed in advertising since the days of 'Two Cunts in a Kitchen'? They still seem to patronise, underestimate and - ultimately - despise female customers.

@thecatfromjapan I couldn't agree more

Not just the companies, though.
I must have seen these tights featured on at least three blogs.
Do the bloggers not think to themselves that we will suss them out? Or are they not particularly bothered, once they've got the money in their pockets.
I'm afraid that i was initially one of those naiive people who genuinely thought that the item clothing being featured was one of the blogger,s favourite pieces . Then i begin to discover that said item was basically loaned for the trip/holiday/event etc. It's all quite clever really, but I did initially fall for it.
There are one or two bloggers out there whom i did respect and like, but I have begun to trust them less.
One blogger has just had a sale, proceeds to charity which is great. However, it was easy to work out the items that had been originally been given as freebies, as they were the ones that you knew originally did not suit or fit in with the bloggers' approach or style.

FAntine I'm talking about the response to the companies producing the items that they have paid the bloggers to push.

I look at, say, the picture of the constellation dress ("See the High Street dress that is a surprise hit with InstaFashionistas!!!!!") and I don't see the dress; I see a company that thinks I'm thick enough not to know they've paid bloggers and Instagrammers a wedge to take a selfie in said frumpy, nylon nightmare.

That's the issue at the heart of it, isn't it? We don't object to ads as a concept but massively to the delivery. It's a constant back and forth of persuasion and suspicion and it indeed becomes almost Orwellian, as mentioned by a PP, as it infiltrates with even more subterfuge in places we frequent on a daily basis making it all the more invasive and impossible to opt out of. In the end, we 're the ones feeling made to feel shit about ourselves for falling for it so easily.

I would point out it's an equal opportunity place of exploitation though (but indeed women are targetted more heavily as they tend to have the most spending influence in your average household). Have a chat with any metrosexual leaning man about men's skincare (which is a ridiculous concept in itself, on par with pink razors) and behold how flawlessly they recite the type of beauty PR women were extremely susceptible to ca. 2000. And let's not forget how effectively children and young adults are targeted.

Nicely put, Botemp .

A really good insight into the emotional response aspect - you have articulated that beautifully.

I find it annoying as a grown woman, however, I find it angering almost beyond reason when my daughter sits me down to share a video of a youtuber she follows 'unpacking' some bag of stuff she's 'bought'.

I realise I need to regard it as an opportunity to discuss the reproduction of capitalism, and whether we should reverse the structure/superstructure hierarchy to take proper account of areas such as ideology, identity and consumerism but ... it's annoying.

It does feel like "2CIAK" to me - but, of course, it's quite effective at hitting younger people through Social Media.

I'm not joking about that, you know. Dd is very emotionally connected to her Virtual Friends. Fortunately, she's very into Sociology at the moment and has been fascinated by Althusser. I've been wracking my brains for a way to chat to her about how her friends may not be all they seem without coming across as Patronising Annoying Mother, and I think that's going to be a way in.

I'm also wondering if we should, as a family, have some kind of anti-capitalist version of a Sabbath: two days a month where we ritually buy nothing, contemplate the meaning of that, and regard it as a space of alterity in the dominant culture.

The emotional response to advertising is complex. There is something really enraging about it: like a mirror in which you see yourself as another - sometimes quite a hostile other - sees you. It's a double reflection, because what you see is what 'they' think your ideal self-image is and desires are - and also your capacity for delusion/willling suspension of disbelief. And that marketing of dreams can go quite badly wrong when the focal point is a little off and it all shatters.